Fernandia Minguzzi's Back story
by Fernandia
Summary: A story made in collaboration with the Witches over Malta story to be found here. /s/10272522/1/Witches-over-Malta
1. Chapter 1

Fernandia's backstory

_Chapter 1_

Fernandia glanced up, as she heard the telltale sound of approaching aircraft. The room was shuttered and only faint traces of light passed through the wooden panes that were fitted in front of the windows. Sitting up in her bed, Fernandia yawned, stretched and tried to get out. Standing up, she was alerted by the movement on her bad, smiling Fernandia said:

" now, now, Vittoria, Its time to get up, it seems we got company.

"mpgh"

the response was before continuing:

" I am still sleepy."

As the figure moved onto her other side, her back facing Fernandia. Fernandia gently leaned over, and stroked the girls hair.

" you need to wake up now, otherwise those karlslanders will be mad with you."

Gently cupping her face Fernandia turned her over. Vittoria Salvi opened her green eyes, and smiled.

"for you then"

she said as she got up, stretching her arms she yawned, and according to Fernandia she did it like a cat. Fernandia smiled, while she put on her uniform.

After a few minutes the pair left the building together. It was a cloudy day, and by the looks of it, it seemed that rain was coming. However the main feature was the huge tri engined bomber that stood on the end of the runway. Looking around Fernandia noticed the other witches had too come to see what the whole thing was about, and from the hangar on their left, Fernandia spotted some of the mechanics looking at the aircraft. By all standards, a military aircraft on an military airfield was hardly special. But nearly everything that passed through here was either Orussian or Karlslandian, and this was neither. On the tailfin was the flag of Romangia, the distinctive white cross with the red and green squares.

Glancing over to Vittoria, Fernandia sighed. As without a word, she and Vittoria walked along the runway towards the large building near the control tower.

Ratevchy Airbase was by all means not a pretty thing. It was a simple runway with a few slablike buildings on the side of the ruddy runway, the only good thing was that the runway was concrete instead of the normal dirtpacked ones. The base had not been used for a long time until Neuroi began their offensive towards Moscow in early 1941. The Orussian army had been devastated by the sudden Neuroi onslaught and had quickly fallen back towards the capital. At this stage, the Orussian government had requested aid from all human nations to keep fighting the Neuroi. The Regia Aeronautica Romangia had responded and dispatched some witches in the expeditionary corps to support the hard pressed Orussian defenders. The Romangian and Karlslanders had been assigned here. And frankly neither was truly happy about it either.

A little while later they arrived at the main building. It was like all other buildings on the base a simple concrete 2 story box, neither being pretty or remarkable. It was clear the original builders had not bothered with any form of decoration, or anything really, the cracked concrete and weather beaten look gave the impression it was more of a ruin then a building in use. Opening the door, the pair went to the left, towards the common room of the building.

As they entered it was mostly empty, of the Witches most of them were still out, asleep or busy. To the right, sitting on a couch however was one of the Karlsland witches. A cute little witch at that, Fernandia remarked.

"Officer Minguzzi" the girl stammered.

" Squadron commander wants to see you in her office."

" thanks Fredericke, I'll be going there shortly."

Fernandia replied, as she helped herself to a cup of coffee.

" But…. B-but, she said now." Fredericke tried.

" she can wait, nobody is in a rush here. Now is there?" Fernandia replied cheerfully. Emptying the cup, she stood up and walked out.

Making her way to the second floor, Fernandia could not do much except wonder, why her of all? She went over last week in her mind, trying to figure out why the Wing commander would want her for this time. Sure she was easy going and problematic, but she could not remember anything of the sorts in the last week. Walking along, she reached a simple double door. The plaque on the side read: "wing commander's office".

Without any hesitation Fernandia opened the door.

"Hanna… what did you call me out for this morning?" She cheerfully asked.

"Goddammit Minguzzi."

The wing commander, Hanna Ehlers shouted back,

"How many more times do I need to tell you, Knock before you get in. Honestly you types lack discipline." She fumed, as she looks angry at Fernandia. Fernandia on the other hand did not see anything wrong with her behavior, and simply smiled back.

" Hanna, you need to be less of a stuck up, always insisting on procedure. Don't you think things will get nicer without all the salutes, formal names and knocks."

Fernandia replied happily.

"ugh, just… sit down already, I want to get this over with." Hanna said, as she sipped her cup of coffee. As Fernandia sat down she pulled out an evelope from the pyramids of papers on her desk. It was a light brown envelope with the Romangian coat of arms printed on it.

" seems its for you. And it got in this morning." The wing commander proceeded, before handing Fernandia the envelope. Accepting the it, Fernandia began to read.

envelope_Pilot officer Fernandia Minguzzi,_

_These are your new orders for you and all witches currently stationed at Ratevchy airbase._

_Due to mounting Neuroi pressure on the Romangian borders, all personnel is to be withdrawn to Romangia to aid the national defense efforts. Exceptions are the witches attached to the joint witch squadrons and those serving under the African command._

_Your orders are as following._

_You are hereby relieved of duty in Orussia, and shall return home. You are to report to Airmarshal Adriana Ruggero Piccio in Rome for further orders, relating to your new position in the airforce. Furthermore you are to take all Romangian witches with you._

_You are to bring all equipment with you back to romangia._

_Furthermore the aircraft that has brought these orders is tasked with transferring you back to Romangia._

"seems I am finally getting rid of you" Hanna remarked. While she picked up the newspaper.

"looks to me, it has something to do with this." As she handed Fernandia the paper. Looking over the front page, It seemed the Neuroi had started to push towards the island of Malta. The Britannian Carrier island in the Med.

" Officer Minguzzi, you hereby officially relieved of duty, and it was a pleasure….." Hanna said, while giving a salute.

Fernandia smiled back,

"well if you excuse me, I need to pack my things." While she stood up and left.

Walking outside, she made her way to the smallest of the 2 hangers. Peering in, satisfied there was nobody around, she walked over to the 2 striker units standing near the back of the hangar. Looking at them, she smiled, this was the Romangian workhorse. The MC 202 Folgore. Powered by the same magic engine as the Karlslandian Messersharf, it was anything but the Messersharf. Sleek and clean, it was fast, dove far better then the Messersharf while maintaining far better maneuverability then the Karlslandian units, easily being the match of the famed Britannian Spitfire mk V. Tracing her hand over the left unit, she smiled again, remembering fondly how it had saved her from a ton of trouble when she first arrived here. There were a lot more Romangians here back then, 5 or 6 at most of the time, but in the recent months, all of them had transferred out, and now it were their turns. Looking at the envelope and the paper Hanna had given her, she looked at it, sighed and began to read the newspaper.

" _Neuroi advance into the Mediterranean!_

_Yesterday sources within the Romangian military confirmed rumours of possible Neuroi in the Med, stating that some incursions had been detected around the Med. However sources within the army deny the rumours the Island of Rhodes has come under attack by the Neuroi._

_The Duke of Romangia had stated today in a press conference that "all possible assets were used to defend the country." Furthermore she confirmed that the Royal family will not leave Rome for the time being, stating that: "The Dukes of Romangia have the Duty to stand by the people who they rule, and will not evacuate as some members of the army have suggested." _

Flicking through the paper, Fernandia sighed.

" No wonder we are getting pulled out…" she said against nobody in particular.

" Is it that bad?" a little voice asked. Looking up, Fernandia saw the form of Fredericke, the dimutive Karlslandian witch that she met this morning.

" Well its not easy." Fernandia replied. As the Karlslander come closer, Fernandia shot her a friendly smile. As the Witch sat down next to her, she went on

" Neuroi are closing in from every side, and there are not nearly enough witches to fight. Let alone experienced ones. "

" and they are recalling you?" Fredericke asked.

" yes, all of us… well the two of us. And guessing the way things are looking, chances are they are going to split us up as well."

" you seem pretty confident about that."

" well I can't see THAT far into the future, but it's a feeling I am having." Fernandia replied cheerfully.

That night, Fernandia went back to her room, the message was an unwelcome one, Although she had not really loved it here, she had grown fond of the place, the gruff Karlslanders, the leaking roof in the hangar and the cold winters. Lost in her mind she walked into her room.

"FER-NAH-DIA" It sounded as a small yet powerful frame hugged her at full speed.

"now now, Vittoria, don't be hasty." Fernandia smiled back, while accepting the hug. She gently pushed her away.

" I am tired and I want to sleep, we have a long trip in front of us tomorrow." She said as she looked at Vittoria, her long time wing witch, and a good friend.

With Vittoria backing off, Fernandia stripped off to her panties, and walked over to the bed, that sat in the corner. Closing her eyes, she heard Vittoria undressing as well, and after a few steps on the creaky wooden floor, she felt her warmth next to her in the bed.

Vittoria gently slipped her arms around Fernandia, pressing her own body against Fer's.

" I feel sad." She said, while she hugged even tighter.

" it seems that after almost 2 years, we are finally going home." She went on, "and I like this place, in a way, and I even like the Karlslanders that are here." She started to sob.

Fernandia, turned over, looking into Vittoria's sad green eyes, her face being flustered. She was not used to Vittoria being emotional. She hugged Vittoria back, gently caressing her.

"but why so sad?" She asked, "we are going back home."

"Because…." Vittoria sobbed even harder.

" I can't be with you." Clenching Fernandia, she continued to sob.

Fernandia being at a loss, let her have her way, while stroking her hair, like a mother tries to comfort her child.

" Listen to me Vittoria." She said, calmly and serious.

" We managed to get through this, without any problems. I have always protected you." Gently cupping Vittoria's face, she nudged her to look at her. Vittoria stifled her sobbing, and even in the dark room Fernandia knew she was looking at her.

" remember the time you were being chased by 20 Laros fighters? Remember how I saved you, and we managed to smile afterwards. How we pissed Ehrler off by breaking formation, and how she admitted that what we did was the right thing?"

" But Fer, I won't stay with you." She whispered.

" I know… I know. But remember, I love you, and I won't let anybody or anything harm you. And even if I am not there, I will watch out for you. And I will be waiting for you, the day that this war ends. I'll even go and visit you if I can. I'll write you a letter every week."

Grabbing hold of her hands, she looked Vittoria in her deep green eyes. And went on.

" you are, one of the best witches I have ever seen. And if you are not by my side, you are still a brilliant witch, a good friend and my wingman, and no transfer is going to change that!"

Gently Hugging Vittoria, they fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning the pair woke up early, Stretching, Fernandia got out of bed, yawning, stretching she sighed. Vittoria was still sleeping as always. Carefully leaning over, Fernandia whispered.

" time to wake up, we have a lot to do today."

" I don't want to." The response came, and the bedding turned into a large pile with a single slit, from which, Fernandia know, 2 green eyes were looking at her.

" well you need to get up anyways, or Hanna and her little friend will come to wake you up." Back when they arrived, Vittoria had been rudely woken by Hanna with a bucket of ice water being thrown onto her. Hanna had stated that she hated tardiness and would take drastic measures to ensure everybody was up and running in a timely and orderly fashion.

"NOOOO" Vittoria moved out of the pile, darting to her uniform,

"anything but the bucket" as the hastily put on her uniform. Fernandia laughed,

"it's still easy to get you out of bed, hahahaha." Vittoria glared at her, which made her look even more adorable then usual.

The weather was clear and sunny, the rain that coming yesterday had cleared out completely. On the Runway the base staff was busy loading the SM 82 with the remaining Romangian equipment, fuelling it and generally being busy with keeping the base running. Fernandia watched them for a while before she, and Vittoria continued to the main building.

Entering the conference room she met the two pilots that were going to bring them home.

" We have planned to go via Turkey and the med, Stopping at Istanbul to take on extra fuel, we should have enough to reach Romanga without much issues." The pilot said. Hanna nodded,

" However be warned, though, it has been quiet the last month, too quiet if you ask me. And the Papers said the Neuroi were seen in the Med as well. You sure you will be fine?"

"Morning everybody." Fernandia said cheerfully, as she and Vittoria walked into the room. Smiling cheerfully she greeted Hanna, who looked at her angrily.

" we are planning to leave tonight" the pilot continued.

"now excuse us while we see we can leave on schedule." Saluting the pair left the room.

Hanna looked at Fernandia,

"yes?"

"nothing Hanna, just checking in, bothering you for the last day."

" I see, nothing important then?"

" well there is a little thing though…" Fernandia began.

"Hmmmmmm." Hanna said, while looking at her, she smiled.

"the great Minguzzi having a request? That is quite something."

" Ehehe." Fernandia began. Hanna looked on, faintly amused.

"well, you.. see, I kinda lost my pistol a couple of days ago, eheheheheh…" Fernandia said,

" and I haven't gotten around of getting a new one yet…"

" Seriously, but I can't send you back to Romagna without the proper gear now can I?" Hanna responded. She walked over to her desk, opening a drawer, she pulled out a little wooden box.

" Well consider this to be my farewell gift then." She said as she walked over to Fernandia.

"now please try not to lose this one." She said as Hanna handed her the box. It was fairly small and made of polished wood with a simple brass lock. Looking inside, Fernandia saw a single pistol along with 2 clips. The pistol itself was a simple Karlslandian pistol, as worn by many members of the Karlslandian military. However unlike the pistols Fernandia had seen, it was one with a very high degree of workmanship, carefully crafted, polished to a light sheen, it very nice to look on. The Wooden handgrip was carefully engraved with 2 intertwined eagles.

" Are you sure about this?"

" Yes."

" Why?"

" Because even if you are, horribly annoying with your lack of discipline, the fact you cannot seem to even adhere to basic orders like knocking, you are still one of the better pilots I have met, and you saved me on at least 1 occasion."

" Well thank you Hanna." Fernandia said cheerfully, before hugging her tightly. Hanna became completely red and was clearly uncomfortable with being hugged like that.

"Goddammit Minguzzi, Procedure. Procedure."

" Hanna is such a softie at times." Fernandia grinned,

" but what is it exactly?" she asked.

"That is the Walther P38, and It was specially made. I however never dared to use it. Perhaps for sentimental reasons. I don't really know. But since I have no use for it, and you lost your pistol, you can have it, however do me a little favor and make sure you don't lose it. It would make me feel terrible if you lost it."

" OK Hanna, I promise to you, I will not lose the pistol." Fernandia replied.

" I trust you bring it back when this whole war is done."

"yes, yes, I will come to bring it back personally to you in Karlsland."

"you better be."

" You know me, I never keep promises." Fernandia joked.

" You also know, that in your words: " I am a humorless witch.""

"Ehehehehehehe, I guess….."

" Also I have something for your Air marshal." Hanna walked behind the desk, rummaging through the endless piles of papers, she procured a single envelope. It was made of cheap paper, and it bore the distinctive handwriting of Hanna.

" What is it."

"something your Marshal asked me to write. Could you do me a favor and deliver it to her, I tried my best on it, and I would be sad if she could not enjoy my writings."

" you must be kidding."

" Yes, for once, Fernandia, I am."

Smiling Fernandia accepted the envelope. Fernandia prepared to leave, Hanna went on,

"also don't forget to check your striker, you never know when you need it."

"I trust you come to say farewell tonight." She shouted from the hallway.

With Fernandia gone, Hanna smiled, remembering the trouble that pair had given them.

That evening, all the remaining Witches met up at the runway, to bid farewell to the Romangian duo. Although the Karlslanders were a gruff lot, they expressed some sadness of seeing them go. Even though they were loathe to admit it, the base would become a little bit more empty, and nobody knew when the next Neuroi assault would hit home.

Stepping into the gloomy interior of the Marsupiale, Fernandia sighed, as a voice called out.

" Minguzzi…"

Turning around Fernandia saw Hanna standing, her cap in her hand, she waved.

" Have a safe trip… and don't forget to bring my pistol back after you are done…"

" Of course Hanna, I promised." Fernandia shouted over the din of the Marsupiale's engines. Closing the outer hatch, Fernandia sat down next to Vittoria.

" hmmmggh. What a pain."

" Whats wrong Vittoria?"

" I missed you this afternoon."

" well I was busy." Fernandia replied while she looked at the box Hanna had given her. She had promised not to lose it, and decided to keep it close at all times.

"ooohhhh, what do you have there?" Vittoria asked, noticing the box she went on

" did you get a present?"

"well something like that…" her voice trailed off.

Any further conversation on the matter was rudely intererrupted as the Marsupiale began to move. Its three engines roaring to life, it began to slowly roll on the tarmac. As the speed increased, so did the shuddering, before coming to an abrupt stop, they had become airborne.

And so the pair of witches set off, going back home, the Marsupiale disappeared into the night. Looking at them from the ground, Hanna sighed.

"have a good trip you two." She said to nobody in particular.

After some 30 minutes, the Roaring subsided, as the Marsupiale had begun its journey to Istanbul. Growing used to the regular droning of the engines, Vittoria yawned, and rested her head on Fernandia's lap. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep. Fernandia smiled and as she Stroked Vittoria's hair, she looked out of the window. It was a full moon and very little clouds. Stretched to the horizon was the darkness that was the endless steppes of Orussia. With no stray light, the milkyway lighted up, and for a while Fernandia gazed into the depths of space. However she noticed the fact it was growing colder, she moved a little bit to grab a blanket. Draping it carefully around the sleeping Vittoria, she continued to stroke her hair, as she was lost in her thoughts.

She was worried. Although Vittoria could take care of herself, Fernandia always had the urge to protect her and she feared that when they reached Romangia, she and Vittoria would be torn apart. Well that had started in flight school really. Fernandia smiled, as she thought back to that.

Things were easier back then, she had been enrolled into it after they had discovered her abilities. However when she walked into the compound, she had spotted Vittoria for the first time, she lacked confidence. That was it, and her uncertainty had made her being picked on by some of the other witches, who played cruel pranks with her. However no matter how cruel they were to her, she would endure without as much as a word. Fernandia had stepped in back then, quickly beating them and she had taken Vittoria under her care. Although she had a gift for flying, combined with her ability to empower rounds with magic, made for a very deadly combination. But somehow she had always been following Fernandia, as if she did not dare to forge onward on her own. That was probably the reason she had been assigned with Fernandia here in Orussia.

As the hours passed the night went on, and after a short nap, fernandia was woken by the first rays of the sun, which was slowly rising in the east. Making sure she did not wake Vittoria, Fernandia made her way to the cockpit. Opening the hatch that separated the cockpit from the main hold she was greeted by the engineer, who was busy checking the gauges and monitoring the radio.

"good morning." The copilot said softly, as he pointed at the hunched over figure of the main pilot, who was clearly asleep.

" good morning, How are things?"

"Good actually, nothing of note to report, according to our navigator, it's another 6-7 hours before we reach Istanbul. Fuel consumption is within limits, and no Neuroi spotted. Thank god."

" well that is good to hear."

" also If you are hungry there is food in the box directly next to the hatch."

"ah, Thank you, you have thought of everything."

Satisfied there were no problems, Fernandia headed back to the main compartment, finding Vittoria sound asleep on the exact spot she had left her. Making sure she was not cold, Fernandia took her place near the window, and gazed outside.

The Marsupiale was not a pretty aircraft by all standards, it was big, spacious and oddly proportioned. It was both underpowered and unwieldy. However the Regia Aeronautica had been using them for quite some time, and had proven to be incredibly useful, belying their looks, or the opinions of those who looked upon them. Although slow, it had a very long range and was capable of carrying large loads without much issues. However it carried no defensive armament and it could not escape. So he Regia Aeronautica had decided to high risk flights would be done during night time in the hopes of staying undetected. This had worked out well this time, as they were clear of the frontlines and the chances or meeting a Neuroi out here was small. The other advantage was that unlike some of the speedier alternatives offered by Karlsland and Librerion, the Marsupiale was easy to maintain, though and reliable. Its engines were of simple construction and would not break easily, even if it was clogged with sand or snow and it ran on most kinds of aviation fuel, and even some crews had, in the case of fuel shortages, resorted to using a mix of automobile alcohol and benzene, they made a primitive kind of fuel, that was highly toxic but made the engines run without problems.

After having a simple meal, Fernandia and Vittoria spend most in relative silence, both of them knew there was a large chance that they would be separated when they returned to Romangia. Especially since the orders Fernandia had gotten, did not mention a specific place or unit they were to be transferred to.

As the hours crept by the Marsupiale began to decent towards the city of Istanbul. Fernandia woke to the sounds of the engines dying and realized they had arrived.


	3. Chapter 3

As the Marsupiale taxied off the runway, Fernandia and Vittoria packed their things and made their way to the access hatch. Waiting until the transport shuddered to a halt, Fernandia opened the hatch, and sunlight streamed into the dim interior of the aircraft. Squinting her eyes to the harsh sunlight, it took them a while to adjust them. The airfield they had landed on was an attractive looking thing, it had a single tarmac runway, several simple Hangars and a set of buildings build out of sandstone bricks. The Control tower however was most peculiar, as its base and the tower itself was constructed out of the same brick as the rest of the buildings, however the top part, where the controllers sat, was made out of gray concrete, with little attention given to the looks. However the most peculiar thing was the relaxed atmosphere, and the fact Fernandia did not see anybody on site, where Ratevchy was derelict, unused and put back into service when it became needed, this airfield was well maintained. As the pair of witches made their way out of the plane, Fernandia spotted a single man coming towards them. He wore a simple uniform, had gray hair and a kind expression on his face.

" Welcome, I trust you had a pleasant flight?"

" Yes we did, and more important it was uneventful." Fernandia smiled.

" Well that is good to hear, however I am afraid that I have to bring you…. Unfortunate news." The man looked at them with a serious expression before he went on:

" As you might know, the Romangian Consulate arranged for the fuel that you need for the continuation of your journey, and has paid the expenses that go with that. Unfortunately for you, the fuel earmarked for your plane has been delayed….." his voice trailed off.

" And can you tell us why?"

" You see, we have had several Neuroi attacks over the last month, and the damage has resulted in the trucks carrying the fuel being forced to take a detour. However I can assure you, that we will service your plane in 2 days at the most."

" We are most glad for that."

" Furthermore the Romangian consulate has asked me to let you know that due to this delay, they have prepared accommodation and that their hospitality is yours. Now if you will excuse me, I have paperwork to attend to." He said before leaving.

The pair of witches made their way back to the transport. Briefly conferring with the pilots, the conclusion was that this was a good thing as some minor problems had surfaced during flight, and the crew wished to look into that anyways before continuing, so the delay was not all that problematic. However the news of the Neuroi raids cast a dark shadow on the minds of the crew. However with that over with Fernandia left, with an eager Vittoria in tow. Glancing at her watch, Fernandia smiled.

"if we hurry we might catch lunch still."

" YES… finally some decent Romangian fare." Vittoria replied happily. In the 2 years they had spend in Orussia the food was terrible, both Fernandia and Vittoria thought so. The reason was the majority of personnel on base was Karlslandian, who seemed to live of a monotone diet of meat and potatoes. Vittoria had once put it mildly to Hanna:

" the stuff is downright inedible. Greasy, no flavor." Hanna responded with a simple don't like it, don't eat idea. However the Orussians were even worse, although the food was the same as the Karlslandian, it was made using canned foods. Which was terrible. The Orussians used canned meat, and not the quality Librerion stuff either, which very good, if not the best. But they used the locally made stuff, which was not as much meat, but rather some gray mass with huge amounts of grease. Once Fernandia had mustered the courage to ask an Orussian witch what they made the stuff of. Her response was telling, as the Orussian said that she was better off not knowing, as it would only ruin her appetite. However her face told a different story, she did not know, or rather preferred to not know what that stuff was exactly either. Fact was however that due to logistics and other reasons getting the things needed for Romangian fare was nearly impossible, let alone the fresh stuff needed for a proper Romangian dish.

However with that being said the pair made their way to the main building, where after a little discussion, they managed to secure the use of a simple jeep to make their way to the consulate. Wasting no time, the pair hopped in, and made their way towards the consulate and, perhaps more important, the first decent lunch in 2 years. Driving along a dusty road that was lined with trees, it was a enjoyable trip, as the sun was shining, the jeep and the shade made the heat bearable, even pleasant. Before long however, which had to do a lot with the way Fernandia drove, they reached the outskirts of the small city, where the Consulate was. However the pace slowed considerably as he streets were clogged with cars, streetvendors, carts and pedestrians.

It took them the better part of the hour to find the Romangian consulate, which was located up one of the hillsides on the outskirts of the city, rather then in the center. It was an attractive looking walled compound, behind the main gate, there was a courtyard, a garage and a few other buildings build into the walls. The courtyard itself was bricked with a few small trees lining the walls. It was obvious it was as much a place of comfort as it was a place diplomacy. Making their way inside, they were met by a kindly man, who told them, he was the caretaker, as the honorary consul was away on state matters. He was appointed to keep the residence in running order, house important guests and, if needed, treat on Romangia's behalf.

Furthermore, which interested the pair of witches a great deal more, was the fact the local Military attaché wanted to see them on a short notice, after they had refreshed and rested of course. Arriving at a wooden door at the second floor, the caretaker explained that he needed to attend things, but that for the duration of their stay, they could use the quarters, after which he hurried off.

Obviously it was meant for guest of stature that also, except when dining with the host, required a certain amount of privacy. The room was divided into 3 parts, a simple reading area, with a small, but functional bathroom, and a single bedroom, which contained a large 2 person bed of high quality. both the reading area and the bedroom looked out on the compounds garden, a long strip which ran down the hillside.

Dropping down onto the bed, Vittoria sighed.

"finally, a decent bed to nap in."

" finally time to nap….. you mean." Fernandia replies, as she looked at Vittoria while smiling, Vittoria puffed her cheeks.

" But I can't help it Hanna was so strict, not allowing us to nap, that is just plain mean." Fernandia laughed, as she recalled the first encounter with Hanna on the Orussian steppes.

The first few weeks with the Karlslanders on the steppes had been troublesome. The Romangian witches were used to improvisation, and a general relaxed pace while out of combat. The Karlslanders however, had been especially drilled, and had a tendency to turn everything into timetables and schedules, and combined this with very little off time, often maintaining high readiness for days on end, if headquarters told them so. However Fernandia and the other 4 witches had a whole different way to rolling, having a happy gung ho attitude, they were according to Hanna "unorganized, undisciplined and not taking things seriously." However things did not end there either. There was a marked difference in pilot training and outlook on things, and handling. The Romangians, relying on their MC 202 striker units generally preferred to dogfight. It was however strange that the 202, due to its lines and design was able to go far faster then the Karlslandian Messerscharf units the majority of the Karlslanders used, even though the Messer pulled away initially the 202's safe diving limit was 250 kph above that of its Karlslandian counterpart. Furthermore, the Romangians were mostly used to flying in the traditional V formation, where the leader had 2 wing witches on either side, who were used to fly in close formation with their designated leader. The Karlslanders were basically the exact opposite to them, relying on speed over agility, they had adopted the " Get in, Get out" sort of approach, where they would dive in, fire a short burst and zoom back up, moving out of reach of the enemy and setting themselves up for another run. Furthermore, compounding the problem was the Karlslandian practice of flying in pairs, or Rotte, a rather novel idea, that while viable even for the Romangians, gave problems as they needed to adapt to this new formation and what their place was in these. Another problem was the fact the 2 groups radically differed on Intel, general combat doctrine and other issues. The Karlslanders were used to effective ground observation, and planning their moves very precisely. The Romangians on the other hand, had been trained to go in blind and unlike the Karlslanders they were fairly comfortable in not knowing, this was in part due to belief in their skill. And in part due to the fact the Romangians did not manage to get accurate data to the pilots in time. Another thing was, that exasperated Hanna was the fact the skills of each Witch differed. With the exception of basic aeronbatics, the Romangian witches in training tended to be attached to active squadrons a sort of mentor programme, where the more experienced witches taught their charges practical combat skills. The result was, that while the newly arrived Romangians had plenty of second hand experience, the skills differed wildly from witch to witch, as it was on the job training, and no one of them had served at the same unit, except Fernandia and Vittoria, who had a brief stint in the same unit, before being send elsewhere.

Suffice to say, the first months had been grueling as manpower shortage forced Hanna to activate long before familiarization had been completed. The result was that tempers flared high after the first sortie. Due to communication issues, the unit had been separated and Hanna's group had no top cover, as the Romangians had peeled off to intercept several bombers heading towards the airfield. And they had not radioed in their intentions. Hanna however later admitted she knew her top cover was gone, and decided to press on, after which they were bounced by several Neuroi, who damaged several strikers and injured one of the witches. During the after report, both groups had been at each other's throats, the Romangians blaming Hanna for being inflexible and recklessness, while Hanna had blamed them for not doing what they needed to do. However to her credit, Hanna managed to keep everybody calm, and after a few weeks most issues had been resolved. Which included the tendency of Vittoria and others to take naps on hot days, even when on duty. Hanna had decided she would have none of it.

Mulling these things over, Fernandia suddenly noticed she had become hungry, glancing at her wrist watch, she noted it was early afternoon, and they had not eaten since they had landed. Noticing Vittoria was indeed napping, she was curled up on the bed, Fernandia left the room in search for some food. Making her way through the consulate however, she stumbled upon a lounge. It was completely empty. It looked out on the garden and was furnished with dark wood paneling, and various comfortable couches and chairs. In the center there was a low salon table, where various magazines and papers were scattered around. On the left there was a single wooden door. Feeling no shame, and curious, Fernandia walked in, and proceeded to rest in one of the fancy seats. Mildly bored she looked over the contents scattered on the table. One particular item caught her attention. It was today's newspaper. Curious Fernandia opened it and began to read.

" _Duke of Romangia: "Battle for Romangia has begun."_

_Today Romangia has become official victim of the Neuroi advance in the Mediterranean, according to a spokesperson for the Duke, the Neuroi have launched an attack on Romangian territory in the early hours of yesterday. However the Duke stressed that no extensive damage has been done, or that there have been any victims. _

_However based on sources within the Military, it seems the Neuroi have staged a long range attack on the Romangian Island of Rhodes, targeting various military installations including airfields, harbor and the island's only shipyard. According to this source, there has been damage to various destroyers and medium bombers stationed there. However he stresses no losses have been recorded._

_Furthermore the Duke is scheduled to make a Statement on Radio tomorrow."_

The rest of the article only had some minor details, various interviews and a time of the official statement of the Duke. Looking at her watch, and quickly converting the time to her local time, Fernandia realized that the speech was about to begin. Sprinting her way back, she literally kicked the door in, and proceeded to run to the radio.

"WAKE UP VITTORIA, IMPORTANT THINGS ON THE RADIO!" she shouted.

" mwhah….. cant they leave us." Within a few moments a sleepy Vittoria appeared, as she joined Fernandia in front of the radio. After a few moments of adjusting the frequency, the static lifted and a silence ensued.

"_At this grave hour, Perhaps the most faithful in our history, I send to every household of my people, this message. The winds of war have been billowing over Europe for years now. However, the Neuroi thread has not abated. With the best efforts of the combined armies of Humanity…. We have met failure. Unlike these.. beings… we have not been successful in containing this thread. We have merely delayed the next strike. For our Kingdom has answered the call to arms. From Orussia to Karlsland, we have bravely risen to meet our enemies, who seek to destroy us. From the frigid woods of Suomus to the scorching sands of Libya, we have held our ground, not yielding an inch to the alien oppressors that seek our destruction._

_However, today is a day of great infamy, as for the First time, Neuroi have struck at Romagian territory itself. Yesterday the Neuroi struck our base on Rhodos. However it has come to my attention that the Neuroi have launched an attack on Sardinia in the early hours of this day. This attack served no purpose, merely trying to induce fear into our heart. But I guarantee you, as Duke of Romangia, its my Noble duty to protect this country, its people and its culture. And I will guarantee you, my people, I shall not fail in this noble endeavor. For these reasons, I have, with pain in my heart, signed the draft for Martial law in the coastal areas. Mandatory evacuation is now in effect, and measures will be taken against those who oppose this. Furthermore, I have given the Regia Aeronautica, Regia Marina and the Regia Escardito, orders to take any steps to safeguard our national sovereignty, and combat this abhorrent threat." _

" Well no wonder we got pulled back then, if this happened chances are they knew it was coming."

" mwhaahh, my nap is ruined now."

" No time to nap now." The reply came, as Fernandia came closer.

" I need to enjoy your company as long as possible." She said as she Hugged Vittoria from behind.

"with all this war going on… I need to keep my sunshine close." She said as Vittoria looked at her, not fully understanding what Fernandia was saying. Fernandia loomed in closer, and gently placed her head on Vittoria's shoulder, who, slightly surprised, kept sitting still. They kept hugging like that for a few awkward minutes, before Vittoria had gathered her strength and looked Fernandia in her face.

" what do you mean?" she asked with a hesitant voice

" it means, you are dear to me… the very thought of you… makes me live in a daydream." Fernandia whispered, as she moved past the couch. She silently sat down next to Vittoria. Gently, as if handling a delicate flower, she began to stroke Vittoria's hair. While humming a simple tune. Vittoria recognized it after some time, which made her smile. It was a song from some Librerion artist, who had been a huge success in Librerion, yet was virtually unknown outside of that country.

As the pair sat there hugging, they did not care about the Neuroi, or the dark clouds gathering over Romangia.


End file.
